I’m New to CTW/Theatre…Can You Explain What This Is All About?

Absolutely! First of all…WELCOME!

Theatre is amazing and we hope this becomes your theatre home.

Here are some common questions we get when people inquire about participating in CTW’s programs:

How do I get involved in CTW?

The most common way people get involved in CTW is by signing up for Fall, Winter/Spring, or Summer classes. There’s no audition process or pre-existing experience needed to be a CTW student; we have a limited number of spots in each class and program, and when we run out of spots, we close registration.

When can I sign up?

We open registration a few months before the semester starts. Fall registration opens in June, Winter/Spring’s registration opens in November, and Summer registration opens in March. We close registration one week before each program starts.

Fall 2017 registration opens June 23, 2017, and the Early Bird Discount applies through July 14, 2017. Registration for Fall 2017 closes on August 12, 2017.

What’s a Fall or Winter/Spring Semester like?

CTW uses a classroom-to-stage model; we have theatre classes, then we produce a play with those students. We provide students with 10 hours of theatre class, and somewhere in those 10 weeks we hold auditions for their play.

We only accept as many students as we have roles in the play–every student who auditions will receive some sort of speaking role in the play. This is our policy because we design our classes and rehearsals to feed off each other, so that by participating in both, the student gets a well-rounded experience. And we know that many students won’t improve until they go through the audition, rehearsal, and production process.

Does my student have to take the classes to audition for the plays?

Yes; we are a theatre education facility that prioritizes the benefits of classes and a production process as two necessary halves of a whole.

What kind of classes do you offer?

For our Fall and Winter/Spring semesters, our core class is the Theatre Class. It covers acting, auditions, theatre terminology and culture, theatre history, script analysis, and improvisation. This class emphasizes the foundations of theatre from an acting standpoint. The Theatre Class tuition overs the classes and participation in the plays–there is no separate production participation fee.

We offer special topics classes as well, but we require our students to take the Theatre Class in conjunction with the special topics classes. There are a few exceptions to this, and we specifically state when this is the case.

We split students up according to age: 3-4 year olds in one group, then 5-6 year olds in another group, 7-9 year olds in another, then 10-12 year olds, in another, and 13-18 year olds in another.

What’s the Summer semester like?

Summer at CTW is a little different!

We have two musical theatre productions in the summer: one is a summer-long production for ages 10-18. This production is close to our Fall and Winter/Spring semester; we still have classes before auditions and rehearsals, but it’s in a one week intensive format.

The other summer musical is for teenagers only; it contains mature content and long rehearsals. This musical gets produced in three or four weeks!

We also offer a variety of week-long day camps, as well as the occasional one-day workshop.

Tell me about how CTW engages children with special needs.

First of all, CTW accepts all students, regardless of ability. The only reason we ask about special needs on the registration form is so we can plan accordingly. This goes for young people with differing physical, developmental, and behavioral needs.

The best way to have a great experience here, if your child has special needs, is to let us know in advance and start that conversation! Your students’ teachers and other related staff will create a plan designed to adjust our programming for your child. We have so many wonderful resources at our disposal so we can equip ourselves to best engage your child.

Starting November 2017, we are offering an ASL interpreted performance of each of our productions. Check ourUpcoming Productionspage for information about when those are offered. If your student needs ASL interpretation to participate in our classes, let us know!